Shadowchasers: Old Soldiers
by 7th Librarian
Summary: The arrival of Momentum, Synchro Monsters and D-Wheels draws this era to a close, promising a shining path towards the future. But with change, can come danger. Such as the group Advent, armed with a fresh evil and great darkness. The Shadowchasers of Backwater face a foe unlike any other. The changing of the guard approaches, but these old soldiers have one more round in them.
1. The Welcome Wagon

Shadowchasers: Old Soldiers  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 1: The Welcome Wagon

WELCOME TO WAYSTATION, NEBRAKSA  
POPULATION: 8

The faded white-on-green sign was barely legible thanks to someone haven taken the time to decorate with rather well done spray paint smiley faces and rainbow. But besides the endless plains and occasional stand of forest, it was the only thing to break up the monotony.

The delivery truck rolled casually past the sign and rounded a corner. What attempted to make itself a town was a convenience store known as the 'Grub Wagon', a double-sized cottage with a sign proclaiming it to be 'The Home On The Range Rest House' and a larger house across the road from both buildings.

Gravel gave way to dirt as the delivery truck passed all three buildings and pulled itself around a circle that ended the road, coming to a halt at the halfway point. The driver killed the engine, unbuckled himself, tilted the seat back and pulled his Yankees cap down over his eyes.

His passenger, a raven-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to help unload?" Her voice was laced an accent that was utterly unplaceable and utterly pleasing to the ear.

"Lady, I'm not paid to unload. Just to drive the truck." The driver emphasized his point by lacing his hands over his stomach. "I don't do things I'm not paid for."

"You drove a passenger nearly a hundred miles to this place." The woman pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I'm paid to deliver cargo. And there's been enough of you funny types that I know better than to ask questions and treat you as just a piece of the shipment." He lifted up his hat enough to peer at with one. "Lemme tell you, you ain't the weirdest one to come along. Even with the Harry Potter robes like that."

"I don't think wizards and witches would consent to wearing something hot pink." The woman's outfit was rather unique. It was long-sleeved with a plunging neckline that was held together with a mesh detailed in a unique symbol- a cross inside six-pointed star inside a circle. And as she had said, it was hot pink whose intensity was softened by pale blues strategically placed on the hood, the hems and collar and a belt around the waist.

"Eh, who knows. When I was kid, sparklin' vampires were a thing, zombies fallin' in love was a thing, youtube was an annoying thing and Disney owned everything." The driver shrugged. "With all the odd-types I deliver, I never thought stripper witches would be a thing."

A frowned flicked across the woman's features. "You're not paid to be polite or to be nice, are you?"

"No, I am not...ma'am." The driver said mockingly and then didn't blink as a hundred dollar bill landed on his chest.

"I'll pay ahead for the next person. At least make some polite conversation." The woman said briskly and opened the door, stepping out the truck.

Despite the two-foot drop and the sturdiness of her flat-heeled boots, the dirt had no more give than concrete and the woman staggered a couple of steps before steadying herself.

"Watch that first step, it's a doozy." A voice called out playfully from nearby and the woman glanced up to see a sandy-haired man striding towards from the direction of Waystation. "And that's Nebraska dirt for you - likes to hit back just as hard you hit it."

"So I noticed." The woman smoothed out her outfit as the man approached. "Are you my welcoming committee?"

"Naw, I'm just the clerk-slash-stockboy-slash-owner of the store there." The man jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Name's Roscoe. You the new Shadowchaser?"

"How do you know-" The woman paused in mid sentence and then nodded. "You're an Aware."

"Yep. Born and bred in the area. So while our 'friendly' trucker sees only a rather gorgeous woman who's been poured into her outfit, I see a gorgeous woman who's been poured into her outfit and has a heart-tipped tail behind her and rather cute horns tucked away..." Roscoe blinked in sudden realization. "Hey, aren't succubi supposed to have horns?"

"Lost mine in a wager with an angel. He turned them a rather spectacular pair of letter openers." The woman replied with a grin. "Good call on my species, by the way. Last person who asked about my appearence thought I was goat woman. When I told him I was a devil, he asked where the horns were, too."

"And what'd you tell him?"

"I had to play cupid one day and needed a bow. So I cut them off, glued them together and shot a few lucky people so they had eternal happiness together." The woman said with a sweeping gesture.

"Is that right?" Roscoe chuckled. "So which is it?"

"Neither. I'm a shapeshifter. I don't feel like horns, so I don't have any. " The woman said and gave Roscoe a wry look. "You know, for having identified me as a devil of Hell and a succubus, you don't seem all that bothered or worried."

Roscoe waved it away casually. "Aw, I knew you were coming and you got the Shadowchaser mark on your face, too. No way I was worried about it. " He gave her a curious expression. "Is it true you're a cleric of love?"

"Yes." She tapped the mesh symbol with a slender finger. "I am Tsuki, high cleric of Erestrial."

"Erestrial?" Roscoe scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Is that an elven god? Sounds like one..."

"No. She is not a god of this world." Tsuki said patiently. "At least, not in the way deities such as St. Cuthbert or Corthwellan are. In time, perhaps."

"Huh. Not one much for worshipping anything, really. If I don't bother them, they don't bother me." Roscoe shrugged and then grinned. "Though, if Erestrial has clerics like you, I'd be happy to listen a spell and think about converting."

"That is a nice thought, but I think my spiel would fall on deaf ears with meeting, Roscoe." Tsuki said with slightly more forced patience. "Love has to be something that is a willing commitment."

"Many things fall on Roscoe's deaf ears, Shadowchaser. Including things like timecards, schedules and the idea that there is always work to be done and time should spent doing it." A droll voice said curtly and a dwarf pushing a furniture dolly briskly pushed past the pair.

Tsuki watched him. To most, he simply would have been a dour-faced dwarf. But to both her and Roscoe, his skin was gray as ash, hair sleek and black as oil and his eyes flickered red. "A druegar..."

"Yep. That's Gar Dirt, blacksmith, business partner and grumpy dark dwarf." Roscoe supplied as Gar reached the back of the truck and opened the trailer before hauling himself. "Like the rest of his species, he values hard work, fine craftsmanship and turns invisible when he thinks a conversation's of no benefit to him. Unlike the rest of his species, he actually uses manners and-"

"Roscoe! Put the energy from your flapping gums into your tree legs and come and help me unload my supplies!" Gar barked harshly from the truck. "I am not paying your full price fee for your substandard services, human!"

"Well, most of the time." Roscoe rolled his eyes, but started for the truck. "The rest of the Backwater team should be here in a few minutes. If not, you're welcome to hang out in the Grub Wagon. First drink's on the house."

"Thank you, but I'll wait here." Tsuki followed the human to the back end of the truck. Gar was already waiting for a box to pass to Roscoe, a large duffel bag propped on some boxes behind him. "Could you pass me that, please?"

"I got it." Roscoe hopped up on the truck quickly, grabbing the bag's strap and pulling it up...but not much else. The duffel bag remained stubbornly where it was. "Whoa...what's in here? Bricks?

"Some person possessions, some of my equipment and a few other things." Tsuki nodded her thanks as Gar seized the bag in one hand and passed it to her easily. "Do you study weapons as well as make them, Gar Dirt?"

"Yes. I am Backwater's expert on magical and unique weaponry of many kinds and sorts. Should you require my services in such a capacity, follow the directions on this card." He passed her a business card without looking and continued to pass boxes to Roscoe. "But for now, I am busy."

"Of course. Thank you." Tsuki grabbed a long, flat case that was nearly as long as she was tall from the back end and setting it with her duffel bag.

As interesting as it was to watch the pair unload boxes, Tsuki didn't have to wait long for things to move forward. A steady, faint creaking reached her ears and was nearly immediately overshadowed by a woman singing.

" _How much is that doggy in the window? The one with the waggely tail. How much is that doggy in the window? I do hope that doggie's for sale..."_

Tsuki turned towards the woods, where a path she swore had not been there a moment before was visible. Two bare tire tracks cut through the tall grass and trees and heading out of it was an old-fashion wagon pulled by a single horse.

She frowned a bit and looked again. The horse wasn't a horse, but a unicorn. A unicorn with several pink and gold ribbons tied into its blue mane.

It wore them, quite probably, at the behest of the cart's driver. It was a tall woman, with green hair that had so many shades it could have passed for a salad with a pair of yellow ribbons trailing from it and she wore a silvery-blue cape and a black uniform of some kind that decked in red trimming. To top it off, a purple ribbon was tied around her neck in a fancy bow.

Still singing her song softly, the driver guided the cart up alongside the truck. Catching sight of Gar and Roscoe, she broke off and waved cheerily. "Hey, guys! How's it going?

Gar grunted in annoyance as he continued to work, but Roscoe smiled back. "Ole' grumpy here beat you to the supply truck again, but your special delivery came through on this one, Terpischore."

"Special delivery..." Terpischore cocked her head in thought, then literally perked up. "Oh! Our new team member!"

Her gaze swept around and then locked on Tsuki, prompting the succubus to smile. "Hi. You must be Terpischore Springweather. I'm-"

"Just call me Terpy! And you're Tsuki! And I'm going to call you pretty!" The woman was suddenly in front of Tsuki, smiling cheerfully. "May I hug you?"

"Er...yes." Tsuki let out a rather undignified squeak as she was literally swept off her in a surprisingly warm and tight hug.

"You smell nice." Terpy dropped her captive and stepped back to get a good look at her. "And dress nice, too. Does the Dark Magician Girl know you raided her closet?"

"About time some picked up on my color scheme." Tsuki chuckled and gestured to the other woman. "But I think you have me beat in the clothing department."

Terpischore glanced at herself and laughed. "Suppose so...But, I was in an artsy mood and Eilistraee gave me some inspiration and so-" She did a little twirl, cape and ribbons trailing behind her dramatically. "The result is totes me!"

"So I'm going to guess you're a very colorful person." Tsuki couldn't help but smile. "It's nice to meet you, Terpischore."

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, Tsuki. The rest of the team will be in a bit to help unload and we can have some proper introductions then. I - oh, right, right!" Terpischore thumped the side of her wagon with a fist a few times. "Hey, deadbeat! Wake up and meet your savior!"

"Snnrkt-huh? Wazzat?" From the wagon's interior, a gruff male voice fumbled its way out of sleep, paused to yawn and then found its way into coherence. "Savior? Is it Jack Daniels?"

"It better not be, Keith." Tsuki said with a brisk politeness. "As you broke off that relationship with Mister Daniels after he nearly murdered your liver."

"Eh, they're optional, right?" A hand seized the edge of the wagon and with a grunt, the man hauled himself over the edge. "Good to see you again, Tsuki. Glad you could make it."

"Glad to be here, Keith." Tsuki smiled warmly at the broad man standing before her. Tufts of blonde hair streaked with gray poked out from an American flag bandanna , a few of them reaching down past the arm of his sunglasses. "Take your glasses off. Let me look at you properly."

"Sheesh, what are you, my mother?" Keith protested, but removed his glasses and stowed them in the pocket of his dirty mechanic's overalls. "Happy?"

"We'll see." Tsuki cupped Keith's face in one hand, turning it this way and that as she studied him. Finally, she looked into eyes deeply. "Good. Your eyes clear and bright again."

"And what's that mean?" Keith wanted to know as she released him and stepped back.

"What it means, my dear clergy, is that you are healing and found yourself again. It is a very good sign." Tsuki nodded. "I take it you've finished your restoration project?"

"Sure have." Keith put his glasses back on, smirking. "My new baby purrs like a kitten, handles like a dream and can handle even your curves, Tsuki. Won't find a better ride on four wheels for a thousand miles."

"I look forwards to seeing it." Tsuki gestured to the metal arm that had replaced Keith's left arm. "Is your arm bothering you anymore?"

"Naw, turns out the twig over there-" Keith jerked a thumb over at Terpischore. "Is is a pretty darn good healer in her own way and was able to stop the phantom pains and stuff...by making me drink down a few potions that peeled the flesh off my throat and made me wish I had a cast iron stomach instead of a metal arm."

"Hey, I'm a healer with science...that involves magic...magi-sci...sci-magi…and stuff. Flavoring kills the magicalness of my healing science." Terpischore stuck her tongue out at him and pointed at Tsuki. "You want to have hands lain on you, talk to the cleric."

"The last one was a color I didn't even know could exist in the visible spectrum." Keith growled at her. "I think just looking at damaged my brain."

"Nonsense. It was of expert quality."

"It was spewing out green smoke!"

"Pssht, I told you that was just a special I threw in because I was bored. It, in no way, was a result of mis-measured ingredients and the fact I had you take two Pepto-Bismal tablets afterwards was a precaution because we had chili at dinner that night." Terpischore nodded proudly and then waved. "Gotta unload truck now, let's continue this conversation never! Bye!"

With that, she dashed around the cart and left Keith grumbling after her. Tsuki just shook her head with a smile and patted his metal arm. "Deep breaths, deep breaths."

"Aw, I'm not going to lose my cool at her. Terpy is a chatterbox and a pain in the neck, but she's a crackerjack healer and first rate kind of girl." Keith frowned a bit. "And she's a scrapper. Does some crazy-ass things with that sword of hers. Kill me dead, cut me to ribbons and put in me in a box before I know it."

"Oh, even your mighty Left Hand Layout wouldn't hurt her?" Tsuki chuckled and rapped his metal arm with a nail, pausing as something on it caught her eye.

Etched carefully on the back of the hand was the same symbol on her outfit. Tsuki smiled as Keith flexed the metal fingers nervously and glanced away. "Displaying your faith a bit more openly now, are we?"

"Yeah, well, some wise demon chick I know told me once that the only thing cheaters have faith in is themselves and when that runs out, you ain't got nothing left. I've been having a good feeling lately and it's reassurin' to have faith in something other than me for a change." Keith muttered in the opposite direction.

"I've got faith in your big muscles and hard-working all-American 'can-do' attitude." Terpischore chimed in as she shoved a decently-sized box into the back of the wagon. "So burn off that embarrassment by doing some heavy lifting, kay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sprig." Keith groused and strolled around the cart to the truck. "Just throw your stuff into the cart, Tsuki. You're riding back with us."

Tsuki nodded and hauled herself up the cart's step and dropped her duffel bag into a corner. The long-handled case she laid more carefully flat on the floor. Turning, she nearly yelped as a box about slammed into her knees.

"Oh, sorry. Though it'd be easier to pass straight to you than push it up from the back." Terpischore apologized and then smiled as Tsuki took the box. "Thanks."

They had gone several minutes of simply passing and stacking boxes, Keith surprisingly able to shove his from the back all the to the front of the wagon with a hard push, before Tsuki asked the question that had been niggling at the back of her mind. "Why are we off-loading to from a truck to a unicorn-drawn wagon?"

"Backwater's surrounded by some pretty thick woods and they're magical. Not to mention in some places, the walls between the Planes are a bit thinner we'd like." Terpischore explained, passing an armful of small boxes to Tsuki one by one. "We've got some guardians and Shadowkind in them and modern vehicles tend to irritate them. So we stick to simpler means."

"That and the state is behind on fixing the damn road." Keith grumbled from the back of the cart. " About ready to go out there and fix it myself."

"Okay, there's a paved road leading in and out of town - we use it for tourist season. But like he said, highway's kind of old and falling apart. And not exactly on most maps. So no real need to drive anything if there's nowhere to go." Terpischore said and grinned a little. "Poor Keith's been itching to try out his baby for weeks, but he can't drive it in town at the moment and it's driving him up the wall."

"I see." Tsuki gave him a knowing glance. "Speed limits aren't suggestions, Keith."

"Pfft, says you. You don't break the law if they can't catch you." Keith said with a huff.

"Spoken like a true rebel." Tsuki rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you installed safety features in this baby of yours."

"Only the best money could buy and all the magic Rayearth could loan me." Keith promised.

"Whatever he could get secondhand and by magic, he means getting some enchantments so it never runs out of fuel." Terpischore translated with a grin.

"Hey, watch it." Keith scowled over at her. "I gave my baby the best two years of my life. She's perfect."

"To be honest, Keith, I would have thought you'd have been more into those D-Wheels that are coming out in a few years. They do combine your two favorite things - speed and dueling." Tsuki commented as she took a moment to restack the boxes in the wagon so they were more square.

Keith and Terpischore exchanged glances and then laughed, Terpischore shaking her head. "Seriously? Card games on motorcycles? That's a crazy idea. And this, coming from _me._ " She gestured in the direction of the unicorn. "I might as well try to duel someone while riding my dad."

"Your...father." Tsuki straightened in surprise, glancing between Terpischore and the grazing unicorn. And back again.

"Long story involving my Shadowchaser mother, the Feywild and a very evil bitch of a fae with a jealous streak." Terpischore said, her smile not wavering in the slightest. In fact, it seemed to gain a sharp edge to it. "Why don't you ask me about this later?"

There was the sound that took Tsuki a moment to place as sand whispering against more sand and turned to see a small whirlwind of it clearing away a few yards from the truck.

"Oh, good, the rest of the team arrives to help us avoid this awkward silence!" Terpischore waved over to the four figures becoming visible in the sand. "Hey, how about some more help?"

Tsuki watched as the four figured began to approach. Three of them were very neatly dressed, the sole woman in the group reminding Tsuki strongly of a circus ringmaster; complete with tophat. The other two were men, both dressed in crisp white suits. One was a good head taller than the other, his blonde hair graying handsomely at the temples. He was deep in conversation with the other man, who looked about to a few years younger - it was hard to tell given that all of his hair was prematurely gray.

It was the fourth figure that caused the succubus to do her second double-take in as many minutes. Padding alongside the woman and easily the size of the unicorn was a quite-regal looking lionness. But her face a strong human cast to it, blue fur acting like tattoos in various shapes on her cheeks and under her eyes. Sandy-colored wings fluttered a bit, stirring her reddish-brown mane, before they settled neatly to her sides. "Is that… a _sphinx?"_

"Gynosphinx, actually. Cruesha. She's Rayearth's pet." Terpischore shrugged cheerfully at the skeptical look that Tsuki gave her. "Yeah, I know she's just as smart as we are, but that's how it is. Ask her all you want about it, all you're gonna get is riddles."

"If I ask Rayearth?" Tsuki gestured at the woman in the ringmaster's outfit.

"You're gonna get a flat 'Not your concern'. And a glare that'll melt the flesh off your bones." Terpischore said cheerfully.

"But...Rayearth is..." Tsuki frowned in confusion.

"Such a look of bewilderment on such a pretty face, is almost a crime." The taller of the two men said smoothly as he swept to the wagon. His smirk was loaded with charm. "But when dealing with dear Terpischore, such an expression is the going thing."

He blinked as a finger was thrust a mere centimetre from between his eyes.

"Are you being rude, Jean?" Terpischore's suspicious tone was at odds with the almost polite smile on her face.

"The truth is painful, dear Terpy." Jean continued to smirk. "Almost as much as it the truth of your beauty pains my heart."

"Got any crackers to go with that cheese? Ooh, ooh, no no, wine!" Terpischore giggled. "Seriously, Jean, you need to stop writing your own material! You'll never get back on the silver screen that way!"

"Consider it fortunate that he does not." Rayearth said as she magically appeared nearer to the two. Her voice rasped pleasantly, thick and smoky. "Or else his turns at movie night would last all night with the sequels to the sequels of the prequels he has."

"I liked _Magnum Caliber: Re-Loaded."_ The second man offered politely. His English had flawless pronunciation, though there was a strong Japanese accent. "Very well done fight scenes."

"Thank you. It was one of the better go-rounds I've had." Jean said amicably, glancing sidelong at his companion. "You know, you've got the style and the flair for the big screen, too, my young friend. Perhaps we should collaborate?"

"Not unless you got him a stunt double!" Terpischore protested through the box she was carrying. "He's way too beat up to do his own stunts and he'll insist on it if he does it!" She passed her box to Tsuki. "Too much of a perfectionist…"

"It is true, yes." The man smiled sheepishly, then looked up at Tsuki. "It has been awhile, Tsuki."

"You know, I don't know your name yet. Only your codename, Fawkes." Tsuki smiled back and shook his hand when he offered it. "Glad to see you're still alive."

"Only because he keeps downing potions and bathes in healing salves!" Terpy grumbled and gave Fawkes a sharp look. "You know, next time I'm on TVTropes, I"m putting your picture under the 'Dented Iron' trope!"

Concern floated across Tsuki's face and she leaned over to get a better look at Fawkes. He was still handsome, but his face had gained several scars. "Would you like me to take a look at you later? It _has_ been nearly fifteen years since I last saw you. And a human as young as you shouldn't look as old as Keith is."

"Hey, I'm not old!" Keith snapped and jerked a thumb over at Rayearth. "This old bat has got a few hundred years on all of us!"

Tsuki directed her attention to Rayearth, who was gazing steadily back at her. Despite the fact the other woman had her eyes sealed shut by a criss-cross of scars and wore glasses, it was like Rayearth was peering into Tsuki's soul. The succubus chuckled. "Only a few hundred? I've got a few thousand."

"Only counted does it have meaning, only when thought of does it have purpose. Immaterial, yet more value than gold." A languid voice spoke up and everyone present turned to look at the gynosphinx that had curled up patiently on the grass. "But only fool's hoard what is forever spent, worth more spent than saved and leaves stories to be told."

"Thank you, Cruesha." Rayearth returned her sightless gaze back to Tsuki. "And what do you think, cleric?"

"If she speaks of time, then what we immortals spend in abundance should be some of the greatest stories there ever wore. And if she speaks of hope and courage, than we will never run dry. And if she speaks of faith, then we have more than enough." Tsuki said succinctly.

"Mmph. Clever answers." Rayearth studied the succubus a bit more. "We shall see if you are strong as you are clever. Tsuki."

At these words, the other Shadowchasers noticeably tensed. And then there was an explosion and the ground shook.

Keith caught the side of the wagon, swearing as he kept his balance as more explosions sounded. "Shit, woman, don't tell us you knew this was coming!"

"Not until a moment ago." Rayearth turned her head, gazing intently at the forest and quite possibly to whatever else lay on the far side. "The Monarchy are back. There are at least six distinct locations large amounts of magical energy. The junkyard, the clock tower, Main Street, Lake Pacific, Thossel's cave and our castle."

"Damn, guys got balls if they're attacking the town full out." Keith slammed his flesh and blood arm into his metal one. "Junkyard's my turf."

"I'll deal with Thossel's cave." Jean said briskly.

"The clocktower." Fawkes' friendly expression had become all business.

"I'll take Tsuki to Main Street and hit up Lake Pacific." Terpy was unhooking the unicorn from the cart and swinging herself up onto his back. "That rookie's down at the card shop; today's his day off."

"Then I will crush the intruder in our home." Rayearth said and swept out her arm. "Prioritize protection of the town and citizens above all else." Then she burst into smoke that resolved into a flock of six-eyed, fanged crows that rapidly sped up above the forest treeline and vanished from view.

"To your destinations, I cannot go. But close to your foe, I will do. My sands will carry you." Cruesha slid herself up next to the three men and they all reached out to grab her back.

"Man, I hate this kind of travelin'..." Keith gulped a little as sands came out of nowhere and swirled around them.

"Just close your eyes and think of Egypt." Jean suggested and Keith gave him a murderous glare before all four of them vanished in a whirlwind of sand.

Tsuki watched them go and turned...just in time for Terpischore to yank her out of the wagon with an arm around the succubus' waist, slinging her on the unicorn's back as they galloped by.

"Sorry! We're in a hurry! And Skyhooves doesn't like going slow! Right, dad?" She patted the unicorn's neck and in response, he lurched forwards as his speed increased to well beyond anything a normal horse could achieve.

Terpischore grinned as Tsuki wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned into her. "Oooh, snuggly."

"Keeps your hair out of my face." Tsuki said. "Lot of practice with riding double."

"I bet, I hear that vampire lover of yours has got a Nightmare." Terpischore said with a laugh. "Bring her around sometime, I want to race her!"

"Working on it-" Tsuki broke off as the forest suddenly loomed in front of them and looked entirely impassable. "Hey, about the route we're taking-!"

" 'sfine! Dad guards this part of the forest!" Terpischore called back even as they passed through the brush like it was water. Branches and leaves simply slid over their bodies harmlessly, despite their high speed. "It won't hurt you as long as you're with us!"

"Who are the Monarchy?" Tsuki asked as Skyhooves galloped through the forest, foliage nothing but a green blur interspersed with blobs of color that had to be flowers. Despite the thickness of the forest brush, it was almost as if a path was opening itself in front of the unicorn the scant second it collided with something.

"They're a group of elemental magic users. They started showing up about fifteen years ago all over the States. For awhile, they were just your average nutcases who worshipped something beyond this world. Crazy, dedicated and tougher than they had a right to be. Only in the last decade, they've been trying to complete something called the 'Reunion.'" Terpy explained, her voice audible despite the speeds they were traveling at.

"What are they reuniting?" Tsuki almost flinched at the suddenness at which the forest flashed away and they were on a flat plain, with buildings rising up quite rapidly to meet them.

"No idea. Probably either means they're desperate or getting really close." Terpy's voice was bright with expectation. "Means they're gonna be a great fight!"

"I think you're going to have that sooner than you expected." Tsuki pointed over Terpy's shoulder at the group of lumbering earthen figures literally rising up from the ground in their way. There were roughly humanoid, but towered even the unicorn and his two riders. "Clay golems, by the looks of it."

Terpischore scoffed and pulled a longsword from thin air. It's orange-pink blade was inscribed with runes from hilt to tip and as she swung it into a ready position, its sharpness was audible. "Slice and dice."

Skyhooves didn't slow as they reached the closest golem and Terpischore's blade flashed through the air...only for a resounding 'clang!' to fill the air and both women crashing off the back of the unicorn like they had been hit.

Terpischore, due to the fact she had landed on Tsuki, avoided being dazed by the impact. This also meant she was aware of a golem's head-sized fist hurtling at her. She threw herself into a roll, dragging Tsuki with her and the ground shook at the fist smashed into the earth.

The next instant, Terpischore was on her feet and gesturing angrily at the golems as they advanced on the pair. "What gives?!"

The response she got was a swipe of an arm that her sword intercepted easily, but Terpischore grunted in surprise as her blade only deflected the arm and didn't cleave through it. "Hey, someone gave you skeletons! Neat!"

"For them, not for us." Tsuki was back her on her feet as well and leather creaked as her wings spread from her back. Even Terpischore batted aside some more sweeping blows from the lumbering golems, the succubus seized her new team under the arms and took to the air with a few strong beats of her wings. "I don't think your sword is going to cut it, pardon the pun."

"Naw, if you hadn't made it, I would have." Terpischore said cheerily and then her eyes widened. "Incoming!"

"What-" A faceful of clay cut Tsuki's question short and then the two Shadowchasers were crashing to the ground, balls of clay volleying from the golem's outstretched arms.

Light warped, flared and snapped into place as a shimmering barrier sprang up between the Shadowchasers and the golems. Skyhooves snorted angrily as he looped around to his two fallen riders, his horn shimmering softly with light.

"Thanks, dad." Terpy pulled herself back to her feet before helping Tsuki to the same. "You good?"

"Good." Tsuki unfurled her wings and with a rather painful creaking, they snapped back into their proper positions. She watched the golems cease firing clay balls at them, even their rudimentary intelligence telling them that they weren't going to get through the barrier that way. "Ideas?"

"I can deal with these golems on my own. You take those awesome wings of yours and get into town. The apprentice is going to be up his ears in trouble." Terpy pointed with her sword towards the town, where a group of golems and a few other creatures were plodding steadily towards it.

"Are you sure? There's at least eight of these things and-" Tsuki broke off as the golems suddenly started stampeding towards them.

"Yeah, I got this!" Terpischore sprinted forwards as Skyhooves' barrier vanished. One of the runes on her sword lit up and she hurled it like a javelin into the nearest golem. It stared at the protrusion and then clumsily groped at it before an explosion of fire sent pieces of it all directions.

Cape fluttering behind her, Terpischore vaulted up and over another golem with one hand, her sword flying out of the debris of the first one to land deftly in her palm. Light flashed as Terpischore's sword arm blurred and another golem's arm that was grasping for her flew apart, clay and metal flying into air. "Move, Tsuki! Move!"

Tsuki nodded and took the air again at a steep angle towards the city. Two of the golems tracked her and raised their arms. But their clay bodies had only just began to ripple to generate ammo before Skyhooves bodychecked one so hard it went staggering backwards. His hooves hammered away at the second one and then a flare of light from his horn tore its head apart.

The succubus turned her thoughts away from the fight and towards the city. Towards her new home.

Where flame and smoke were already licking at the sky.


	2. Six Ways To Sunday

Shadowchasers: Old Soldiers  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 2: Six Ways To Sunday...

The Backwater Junkyard was like many junkyards; metal refuse of all shapes and sorts had made their way into the place. Rusted out cars and the like salvaged by the area's lizardfolk that were stripped of everything that could be used weapons, shields or housing, piles of loose metal pipes and more from construction projects, old massive drain pipes, broken house appliances of all sizes and even the occasional duel disk and suit of armor.

How it was unlike most other junkyards was that an assortment of the metal objects were magical in nature. It was impossible to tell how much of it actually was magical, but there was enough of it there for so long that now everything that left in the junkyard for more than a few days gained a touch of magic itself. And now and again, one type of magic would react badly with another type and something would explode.

In one instance, this reaction had not caused something to explode. Rather, it had caused something to assemble itself.

Threepiece was a lanky mechanical man. Mismatched parts that somehow melded seamlessly together and his rather bland head casing had a pair of flashlights mounted to either side as eyes. An old model iPhone lodged in lengthwise made up his mouth.

Both were impossibly narrowed in a tight frown as he darted to the side to avoid a fireball. Static crackled and his phone flashed an angry red as he patted out a smoldering ember on his patchwork bomber jacket. "Hey! this is vintage, ah-huh-huh! Worth more you, hot stuff!"

"Vintage, garbage, they all burn the same!" Standing atop a pile of junk was a man clad in dealer's outfit and a vaudeville hat. Both were varying shades of red and gold and he twirled a long cane in his hand. "And Iggy Kniite is lighting the match!"

Iggy swept the cane out in front of him and a wave of fire leapt from the ruby at the tip, forcing Threepiece to vault over a stack of junk and duck behind it as it scorched the air. "Aw, come on, metal man! Lemme burn all that rust off you, make you shine!"

Junk clattered nearby and Iggy whipped around, reversing the cane to skewer a clockwork cat that had been sneaking up on him. It whirred and hissed at him metallically as it tried to pull itself up the cane to get at him. "Cute critters, but they need some discipline!"

He kicked the cat off the cane, knocked it up into the air and swung his weapon like a baseball bat, smashing the cat into a wolf that had been in mid-leap. Both clockworks animals hit the ground in a heap, springs and gears bouncing around everywhere. "Oooh, looks like they've got a few screws loose!"

"Here's a wrench! Fix that for me!"

Iggy spun again and hollered in surprise at the wrench hurtling through the air at his face. A swift duck saved his head, but his hat went flying away and was pinned to a hunk of metal behind him. "My hat!"

"Your face!" Threepiece hollered back angrily and darted out from behind his cover, hurling wrenches and whatever else he could grab.

Iggy ducked and twisted around the objects, swearing as he had to leap from his pile of junk to another. His new perch swayed, he staggered and then a hubcap hit him like a frisbee, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Gotcha now!" Threepiece slammed his fists together as he landed near the prone Monarch, who was groaning in pain. "Guess you're not such hot stuff, are ya, ah-huh-huh?"

"Well, you're right...I'm not hot…" Iggy suddenly rolled to face the golem, grinning manically as he pointed his cane. "I'm _scorching!"_

A great jet of flame roared from the ruby, Threepiece hitting the dirt and rolling away as the flame chased him. He whipped himself to his feet, jumping and twisting as fireballs roared from the ruby like bullets from a gun.

"Dance, golem, dance! Whooo! Show me your hot foot!" Iggy flipped his grip on his cane again, slamming the ruby into the ground. The earth around it suddenly glowed red, churning a bit before fire streaked out of the impact point. "Burn up the dance floor!"

Threepiece took off at a run even as the streaks of flame zigzagged after him, one lanky stride carrying him up off the ground onto an overturned washing machine. But it gave no safety as flame slammed into and it glowed white-hot, the golem hurling himself onto a nearby pile of junk as the washing machine blew apart. "Oh come on! There wasn't anything explosive in that!"

"Hey, you don't ask why the wind blows, or why water is wet! Don't ask why things explode!" Iggy laughed as his flame streaks chased after Threepiece despite his new elevation. When they reached the pile of junk, whatever they hit exploded and shrapnel would fill the air, the junk pile caving and crumbling like a cookie. "Just like fireworks!"

He aimed his cane as Threepiece slipped and slid over the junk, desperately trying to find purchase. "Wonder what you'll explode like…"

Fire gathered and then bolted from the ruby, hammering into the golem so hard it buried him in junk and enveloped him in flames. "And here comes the-"

"Boom!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Iggy turned to face the new voice...and caught a metal fist in the face that threw him back a dozen yards.

Keith watched as the Monarch went down in a heap and his fist flew back to reattach itself to his arm. "You alright there, junkheap?"

"Feel like I'm hot off the forge, but dude scorched my jacket." Threepice pulled himself out of the half-melted rubble he was in. As he had said, his bomber jacket was gone and his body was glowing red slightly with heat. "Told you the rocket fist was a good idea."

"Yeah, well, even a broken clock in this junk heap is right twice a day." Keith grunted in allowance and then turned towards the pyromancer dragging himself to his feet. "Alright, Iggy. You wanna do this hard way…"

Keith slammed his fists together with a bold grin. "Or the _really_ hard way?"

"Heh. As much fun as I'd have trying to burn your face off, Keith, I think I'll do this the fun way." Iggy rapped his cane on the ground and the junk pile behind him suddenly began to glow red hot. The acrid smell of burnt metal filled the air as it changed to white hot and the metal began to run down the pile in small rivulets. "Oohh, just like my attempts at cooking! Mmmhmm, crispy!"

Keith and Threepiece backpedaled as the molten metal grew in size and flow, spreading out from the pile. "What the hell you doing, ya pyro!? "

"Just setting the stage!" Iggy reached into his vest and produced a small circle. With a snap of his hand and rap of his cane, it became another vaudeville hat and he donned with a flourish. "Let's make things hot, hot, _hot!_ "

He thrust the cane into the air and the ruby shone briefly. Suddenly, the metal cooled with a wicked hissing noise and Iggy whirled, slamming his cane head-first into the pile of slag. Cracks spider-webbed their way up it until there wasn't an inch that didn't look like it wasn't going to fall apart. And with a horrendous grinding noise, it did just that.

"What 'in the hell is that?" Keith said disbelief, his jaw going a little slack.

"Ruby that big, you could buy a country." Threepiece somehow managed to whistle in amazement.

Iggy glanced up behind him at the ruby that had to nearly two yards across and as high as a two story house. "This? This is a Elemental Crystal of Heart Fire."

He rapped it lightly with his cane, grinning as a soft chiming noise echoed through hte junkyard and the ruby flashed and flicked as flame danced briefly in it. "Think of it like...well, a giant ruby filled with fire."

"Pawn shop's down the street if you want to hock, Iggy, but if not, I think I'mma smash it." Keith aimed his metal arm at the ruby to prove his point. "Got enough kick to drop an elephant."

"Ah, ah, ah, _no!_ " Iggy swept his cane through the air, flicker of flame emphasis his reproachful look. "I like fire like no one else, Shadowchaser, but you smash this ruby and we won't go up in flames because we'll be _vaporized_ by the heat!"

"And if I said I think you're bluffing?" Keith's arm clicked dangerous, his mouth a grim line.

"I say you can't take the chance I'm not." Iggy tipped his hat slightly and held up his left arm. "So how about we get fired and take this to the dueling field?"

A duel disk materialized on his wrist, the round portion ribboned and edged to resemble the sun while the tray was an angular tongue of flame. Iggy rapped his cane against it and a deck appeared in it. "Like the new look?"

"Pretty flashy." Threepiece commented with a nod and then glanced at Keith. "How come you Shadowchaser never just pull them out of the air?"

"'Cause he's a showboating pyromaniac and custom disks are for people who got more money than sense." Keith said gruffly and his metal arm whirred and beeped. It unfolded partially into a rough-edged, rickety version of a duels disk.

"...but you paid for that arm to turn into a disk instead of just wearing one." Threepiece said as Keith rummaged through his overalls for his deck. "Sooooo….more money than sense, ah-huh-huh?"

"No shit, Sherlock. I'm about to duel a pyro in front of a giant crystal bomb. " Keith slid his deck into a slot above his wrist and readjusted his shades with a smirk. "I ain't got enough sense to make change for dollar." (KLP: 8000)

Iggy laughed as he drew his opening hand of five cards. "Who need sense, anyway? Gets in the way of making things burn!" (ILP: 8000)

"One track mind, Iggy. One track mind." Keith drew five cards as well, then drew a sixth. "I'll go first and start this duel off activating my field spell card. Capital Factory Mechanus!"

The junkyard around then rumbled, holograms kicking in to add more and more piles of junk around the duelists. Then a building rose up around them, conveyor belts carrying the junk into smelters and the liquid metal being poured into great vats. "And since this place is good at making things, it means I can drop a heavyweight right away!"

A metal roar filled the factory briefly and a form shot out of a pile of junk. It was a man-sized alligator, covered everywhere with robotic parts. It scrapped its claws together, sparks flying from the unbreakable metal. "Cyber-Tech Alligator may not be the prettiest to look at, but he's packing a big pile of attack points." (2500/1600)

Two cards appeared behind it and Keith nodded to himself. "I'll set these two for later and end my turn."

Iggy drew and slid a spell card into his disk. "I discard one card from my hand to summon Berlines the Fire Vassal in defense mode!" Flame gouted up from the ground, resolving into a man clad in red armor from head-to-toe. A blue cape was drawn regally around his body as he knelt in defense mode. (800/1000)

"Fire Vassal…" The motion of Keith's eyebrows suggested he was rolling his eyes under his sunglasses. "Gee, I wonder what you're gonna a tribute him for!"

"Just because you know a blaze is coming, doesn't mean its any less hot, Keith!" Iggy slapped a card onto his disk and the Vassal vanished in another pillar of flame. What emerged was a red-armored figure who towered over either duelist, his blue cape fluttering dramatically. "Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch burns up a card in your hand! _Inferno Snipe!_ "

Keith winced as one of his cards caught fire and he dropped it in the graveyard, the flames flashing over his duel disk briefly. (KLP: 7300)

"You took seven hundred points of damage, so I guess I got a strong monster!" Iggy slid a pair of cards into his disk. "I'll set two cards face-down, just like you. End of turn!"

"Draw." Keith added the card to his hand. "Alright, now I'm going to-"

"Taste the heat, Keith!" Iggy grinned wildly as one his set cards flipped up. "Quick Summon lets me summon a monster from my hand immediately and I have just the level eight I want!"

"Level eight? But that takes two sacrifices and you've only got one!" Keith snapped, gesturing to Thestalos.

"Please, I'm crazy, but not stupid! I know how my own cards work!" Iggy slapped down his new monster ferociously. "And this one in particular can be summoned with one tribute if that tribute is a tribute summoned monster!"

Fire roared to life around Thestalos, blazing brightly as it swallowed up the Monarch. But he didn't vanish. Instead, he grew taller, more broad. His armor expanded, becoming heavy plate that the massive monster moved around in with ease. His cape became tattered, the missing pieces of it filled with fire. "So pay tribute to Thestalos the Mega Monarch!" (2800/1000)

"Mega...Monarch?" Keith's jaw worked a little in shock, then he swore as images of his hand appeared above his head. (Perfect Machine King, Silent Doom.) "Oh, shit…"

"That's right! Thestalos has a more powerful version of his effect! Now I get to look at your hand and ditch a monster! So your Perfect Machine King is toast!" Iggy laughed as Thestalos launched a jet of flame from his palm that burned the card's image into embers. "So now you take two hundred damage times that monster's level...and then an extra one thousand because Thestalos was tribute summoned with a fire monster! _Inferno Eruption!"_

"Uh?" Keith glanced down as the ground beneath him glowed. "Frag..!"

Flames launched skywards, enveloping the Shadowchaser completely and Threepiece was already moving towards his friend. "Keith! Are you okay!?"

"No…" The flames vanished, revealing Keith still standing. But wisps of smoke were pouring off of him and he was breathing harder. "That goddamn jewel is stealing my energy…" (KLP: 4700)

"Figured it out quick, didn't you?" Iggy snickered smugly rapped the jewel behind him with his cane again. The jewel flared in response, a little brighter than last time. "That's right, this ruby is siphoning off a bit of our energies every time we lose life points. Don't worry, hitting zero won't kill you! It'll just hurt like the fires of Hell!"

"Heh...izzat right?" Keith took a deep breath and let it out slow before his face morphed into a grin. "Then I'm about to inflict a whole lotta hurt on you, Iggy."

"And how you going to do that?" The Monarch duelist watched as one of Keith's set cards lifted up. "Call of the Haunted…!"

"Big downside to making someone ditch big monsters, firebug. You give them big opportunities!" The junk piles around Keith shuddered before a titanic white-bodied angular machine stomped into view. It slammed its fists together and its eyes light up eagerly. "Perfect Machine King gains five hundred attack points for each Machine I've got in play and since I've still got Cyber-Tech Alligator, he's got more than enough to turn your Mega Monarch to ash and carve a hunk out of your hide!" (2700/1500-3200)

Iggy watched as the monster's shoulders opened, revealing a large amount of missiles being primed for launch. "Thestalos...blow it up! _King's Fire!"_

"Are you nuts, your monster ain't got enough attack-" Keith's words were lost as Thestalos hurled a pair of fireballs into the open missile ports. Thanks to the extreme heat, the missiles all detonated in unison and shrapnel rained down all over Keith's field. (KLP: 4600)

"Aw, hot damn! THAT was a pretty explosion!" Iggy crowed and did a little dance, tossing his cane between his hands eagerly. "Right up there with seeing the Death Star explode for the first time!"

He pointed with his cane at his remaining set card, which was now face-up. It showed Thestalos wreathed in the flames that were transforming to his Mega form. "The Monarchs Erupt is a powerful trap card. As long as it is face-up and I control a Tribute Summoned monster, all other monsters have their effects negated! Now, doesn't that just burn you up inside?!"

Keith's scowling expression reflected that, yes, that did make him more than a bit upset. He jerked his head. "Just move, Iggy."

"With pleasure!" Iggy snapped up his card and immediately flipped it around. "Monster Reborn revives the monster I discarded for my Fire Vassal's effect!"

The half-melted junk pile behind him churned sharply as a massive claw ripped free. A gargantuan form shouldered its way free from the pile, ignoring the molten metal dripping down its body. Broken shackles decorated its body and it loomed over Iggy, smiling down at Keith with far too many teeth. "Ultimate Obiedent Fiend is here and thanks to my trap card, he doesn't have his effect." (3500/3300)

The Fiend roared and clenched a fist, broken chains rattling as it drew it back while Thestalos charged up a ball of flame between his hands. "So time to feel the fires of hell!"

TTTTTTT

"Oh, that's not good." Astride Skyhooves, Terpischore frowned out over the lake. "Like, at all."

Lake Pacific had been natural lake, but the best efforts of man and Shadowkind had made it several times larger than it already had been and it was now just over a two square miles in size. Normally, it was remarkably placid and people could be see walking and moving about the woodend pathways and gazebos that decorated it, trading and talking with the merfolk who lived in the waters.

Except now a crystal the size of a car was looming out of the center. Around it, the waters churned and thrashed in a whirlpool and Terpischore could already see the debris being swept into it was the violent waters slowly expanded outwards.

"Let's go, dad!" Terpischore squeezed her legs and Skyhooves sprang into motion, bolting across the beach and across the boardwalk.

"Shadowchaser!" A voice hollered and Terpischore glanced over the boardwalk's railing to see figures swimming fiercely at pace with her. Fish tails pumped powerfully through the water while fin-crested heads parted the water like a hot knife through butter.

The one who had spoken was the male in the lead, a head larger than his subjects and his scales flecked with green and gold alongside the stereotypical blue. "That crystal is controlling the water at behest of a green-haired man! The waters are too dangerous - we cannot get near it!"

"Green-haired...water powers...definitely Aitch Duo…." Terpischore muttered to herself and then directed her attention to the merfolk. "Osho, have your kin keep their distance! And help anyone else who get caught in the water! This is going to get worse before it gets better!"

"With you, Lady Terpischore, it is to be expected!" Despite his words, Osho's expression was confidant and he nodded. He and his fellow merfolk vanished down beneath the water's surface without so much as a ripple left behind.

Skyhooves' increased his pace and leapt a gap in the boardwalk without slowing a moment. His horn flashed and Terpischore didn't even flinch as a piece of flying debris crashed into his shield and bounced off. Then several more follow suit and the barrier shuddered, Skyhoove's body rippling along its length in unison.

"I got it, dad!" The Shadowchaser produced her sword again and a couple of runes light up on the blade. She tossed it into the air ahead of her and it began to spin like a saw. It danced in front of the pair, slicing and carving apart the debris as they came crashing down. "What's the matter, Aitch? You think throwing things at me is going to work!"

Her sword cleaved through a gazebo roof as it came hurtling down, Terpischore shielding her face reflexively as the pieces crashed down to either side of her. The boardwalk underneath Skyhooves buckled and the unicorn skidded to a halt as another large piece of debris smashed down just in front of them. "Your aim is lousy!"

"The hell it is!"

Wood splintered, Skyhooves screamed in pain and Terpischore hollered in agony as a trident punched through the debris in front of them. Its prong sliced into the unicorn's neck and caught Terpischore in the arm, a hard jerk dismounting her and smashing her to the boardwalk.

The weapon retreated, then the debris flew apart in a flurry of cuts to reveal a gangly green-haired man wearing a rain slicker. He twirled the bloodied trident, the metal rings on his hands clanging against the weapon while a slasher's smile split his face. "You should have stayed on dry land, Terpischore! You'd have lived a little longer!"

"Pssht, living is overrated! I'd be a kick ass zombie! Or a vampire!" Terpischore rolled as the trident punched through the boardwalk where her head had been. Wood flew in the air as she scrabbled and rolled to avoid the flurry of stabs and then she yelped as her leg was caught between the trident's prongs, the blades slicing both sides. "Agh, why is it always my sack race leg!?"

"Do you fucking Springweather's make ANY sense _ever!?"_ Aitch roared and ripped his weapon free, flipping his grip on it so he could hurl it like a spear. "I've fought four generations of you bastards and not a damn one of you did anything but babble like morons!"

"Makes for great distractions!" Terpischore, impossibly, vaulted backwards and handsprang into the air. At the same time, Aitch heard a whistling noise and her sword crashed into the back of his head and sent him plunging into the waters as the damaged boardwalk finally gave up on maintaining structural integrity. "Dad!

Skyhooves met his daughter on the way down, her hand snaring his neck while light flared from the unicorn's horn. It spread from his hooves, becoming a glimmering glass-like path on the water's surface. Terpischore hauled herself to his back with a grunt, catching her sword over her shoulder without looking.

"FUUUCCKKK!" Water exploded as Aitch leapt free of it, landing on a door-sized piece of debris. With a sweep of his trident, a wave kicked up behind and swept him and his impromptu surfboard forwards. "You won't get away, Terpy!"

"Don't want to! Just need some distance!" Rider and mount wheeled back around to face the oncoming wave. Terpischore twirled the sword above her head, a blue-white glow spreading from one of the runes and coating the blade. As it was completely covered, she swept it down in front of her and white energy arced forwards. "Now chill out!"

"Useless, useless, useless!" Aitch swept his trident again and a fountain of water gesyered up to intercept the white arc. It promptly froze solid and Aitch jumped, landing on it and cleaving it in two with his weapon. Driving his trident into the top half, he spun on his heel and hurled the boulder-sized hunk of ice at her. "Got you now!"

Terpischore yelped as Skyhooves bucked her off him onto a nearby boardwalk. The ice slammed into the unicorn's impromptu barrier, which caved a second later and shoved the unicorn into the water. "DAD!"

"Don't worry, you'll join him soon!" Aitch's sweeping slash with his trident was accompanied by a lashing arc of water along the same path and wood exploded as he carved a trench through the boardwalk and Terpischore rolled out of the way. "Hold still!"

"Seriously, why do you always yell that? Like asking me to do that will make it happen!" Terpischore rolled to her feet and flipped backwards to land atop a support post. The precious few seconds of time that Aitch took to charge closer let her get a better grip on her sword and she lunged to meet him, their weapons colliding in a shriek of metal.

"I'll cut you to ribbons!" Aitch's trident spun and whirled in his hands was a blur, arcs of water trailing from all three tips and slicing through the boardwalk and whatever edges of Terpischore's clothing it could catch like it was a soft cheese.

But Terpischore's sword was always there to intercept his, turning aside or parrying anything that would get too close to harming her. Then, as she shoved his weapon down, her blade came back and flashed brightly in his eyes, leaving him reeling. "Agh, bitch!"

"And proud of it!" Terpischore's sword flashed and a slash opened up on Aitch's arm. It flashed again and he was bleeding from his chest. Another flash and blood poured down a cut on his chest. Another and another and another and Aitch was dripping red from all over his body before he could really get a defense going. "It's over, Aitch. You can't match me in a fight. You've never been able to match any of my family."

"Shut...shut...up!" Aitch jumped backwards and slammed his weapon down through the boardwalk. "I am the Water Monarch and I'll drown you!"

"You won't." Terpischore simply took a few steps forwards and ignored the geyser of water that punched up where she had been standing. Her eyes glittered brightly as she advanced on him.

"Just watch me!" Aitch thrust the trident above his head and it began to shine softly. Far behind them, the crystal shone in response and more water began to erupt to either of side of him. They swirled and splashed around him and the boardwalk. Inside their depths, one could make out vague elongated faces twisted in malevolent smiles. "That Crystal of Pure Water has given me control of these water weirds and they're going to kill you! No matter how good you are with that sword, you can't cut water!"

Terpischore cocked her head at him. "But I can cut ice and ice _is_ water, so I can cut water…"

"AAAAGGHHHHH! JUST! STOP! TALKING!" Aitch snapped the trident forwards and the water weirds flashed towards Terpischore, twisting and twining about one another as they laughed.

"Hey, not my fault your bad guy logic is full of holes!" Terpischore seized the shoulder of her cape and ripped it free, snapping it in front of her and hiding her from view. The water weirds pierced it so thoroughly a second later, it ceased to exist.

Aitch watched as the weirds splashed up against the boardwalk behind where she'd been standing, instantly reforming back into the watery pillars. "Where'd you go!? You can't be in the water!"

He shot his head skywards as a sudden realization hit...but there was no Terpischore hurtling down on him with her sword leading the way.

"On your right!"

Aitch whirled, trident raised in a guard position...only to scream as her sword slashed across his back. "Agghh…! The hell!?"

"Threw my voice, idiot!" She smashed her hilt into his head and he dropped to his knees dazedly. A syllabant hiss filled the air and she turned to see the water weirds hurtling straight towards her. "By the way...totally figured out how to cut water. And make snowcones at the same time!"

The blue-white enveloped her sword again and she was moving. Impossibly moving, dancing amongst the water weirds, moving so fluidly that it was almost as she was more like water than they were. her sword flicked through the air with rapid motions. Each time it cleaved through the water, it would flash freeze and the weird would give a strangled, truncated shriek as it went from a liquid to a solid.

As the last one shattered due to her booted foot smashing down on it, Terpischore turned just in time to see one last weird hauling Aitch towards the crystal at top speed. "Figures he'd run…"

There was whickering noise and Terpischore grinned as she glanced down to see her father, standing patiently on his little path of light. "Dad! you're okay!"

She leapt gracefully onto his back and then wrinkled her nose. "Okay...not okay. you smell of soggy horse."

Skyhooves gave a dismissive snort and took off at a full gallop, his powerful strides eating up the distance between him and crystal rapidly.

Aitch swore as the water weird deposited him on a still-standing gazebo near the crystal and its whirlpool. A glance behind him showed Terpischore closing the distance rapidly. "Damm…damn...damn!"

He gripped the trident tightly and it glowed, morphing into a sea glass-colored duel disk. Whirling, he clenched his fist as Terpischore leapt off her father to the end of the boardwalk. "I'm not going in, Terpy! I'll die before I let one of you bastard Springweathers take me in!"

"Hey, if you were looking to duel, we should have done that first!" Terpischore gestured at him with an angry expression. "But now it's a little too late for that!"

"I say it's not!" Aitch snarled and the crystal suddenly throbbed with power, the whirlpool exploding outwards so fast that Skyhooves barely had time to scramble away and leaving the two combatants trapped on an island of boardwalk.

"What, seriously?" Terpischore glanced behind her at where the whirlpool's leading edge was well beyond her jumping distance. As she looked back at Aitch, waves lashed upwards and swept out the path between them, leaving only their own little sections. "Uou could do this...and you didn't do it first? What the hell!"

"I want to kill you, but at this point in the game, I can't be choosy about the method! And...I have my duty as a Monarch!" Aitch jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the crystal. "This crystal is controlling the water and I control it. You and I are going to duel. If you don't, I'll flood this entire lake."

"You're too stupid to bluff, so I guess I accept!" Terpischore produced a duel disk and slid it onto her wrist. It activated with a 'beep!' and she slid her deck into it. (TLP: 8000)

"I'm going to send you to a watery grave." Aitch promised as he slid his own deck into place. (ALP: 8000)

"Yeah, huh, sure!" Terpischore drew for her starting turn casually and then swept cards into her disk in rapid succession. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Aitch snapped up his card and then slapped two down. "Since you have two or more spell or trap cards in play, I can special summon my Escher the Frost Vassal! And I've got two!"

"Kaaaayyyyyy…" Terpischore watched as two blue-skinned men appeared above the water, floating in the lotus position silently. "If you're going to summon Mobius, you only need one…" (800/1000x2)

"Well, I want to use two, so I'm going to use two!" Aitch snapped and both of his Vassals were swallowed up by the waters. What rose up out of it was an iceberg, a humanoid figure blurrily visible within. Even sealed, it was clearly bigger than both duelists.

"That's...too big to be Mobius…" Terpischore gulped a little as golden eyes lit up within the iceberg and cracks began to spread. "Oh, shoot...it woke up."

With an ear-splitting scream, the ice tore apart as the figure stood to their full height. A frost-lined cape flapped in the wind, their silvery-white armor glittering like fresh frozen ice. Aitch grinned as the new monster clenched a powerful fist, ice crystals forming on it. "This is Mobius, alright. Mobius the Mega Monarch!" (2800/1000)

"What? He got promoted!? You can' do that to a king! What's above a king?" Terpischore's question went unanswered as Mobius held out a palm and ice began to spray towards her set cards. "Oh right, he can destroy my cards...but I can still chain them! I activate-"

THat was when icicles skewered all three of her cards and they promptly froze over. "...all three!?"

"That's right! Not only that, since I summoned him with a water monster as tribute, you can't chain them!" Aitch pointed at Terpischore as Mobius snapped his fingers and the frozen cards all shattered. "You're wide open! _Flash Frost Blow!_ "

Terpischore screamed as Mobius slammed an ice-coated fist into her face, a flash of blue washing over her. When it cleared, she was frozen solid...until Mobius snapped his fingers again and her scream of pain continued as the ice shattered and she collapsed to a knee. (TLP: 5200)

"Yeah, that's right! You taste the pain! And my crystal will get a taste of you!" Aitch clenched his fist victoriously as little bits of light drifted off of the Shadowchaser and into the crystal behind him. "Every life point you lose is going to sap your strength, just like the cold and frost. And when you hit zero, I'll use the opportunity to kill you!"

TTTTTTT

The Backwater Clocktower had been built during the Industrial Revolution, when gnomes had had their hey-day in the modern world and was a marvel of ordinary engineering coupled with magical resources. The metals it was made out of never rusted or wore out, never required oiling or matinance and had been perfectly accurate since the day it was completed.

At least, it had until it's guts had been rapidly dissassembled and a crude clockwork man had been built out of the pieces. It wielded the minute the hand like it was a sword, a two-handed blow catching Fawkes across the front of his suit and sending him hurling into a parked car.

"Man, sorry about that, Fawkes."

The speaker was sitting casually on a large brown crystal that had apparently rose up out of the ground in front of the clocktower, resting an elbow on his knee to prop his chin. He wore a tattered duster over mechanic's overalls. Readjusting his glasses with his other hand, he sighed and shook his head so fiercely it caused his ponytail to flap side-to-side. "I mean, an old guy like you, getting hit like that has to feel like getting by a freight train."

"We're the same age, Grave Elphitt." Fawkes stood up, one arm bracing him against the car. Despite the heaviness of the blow, his suit was still instact. The Shadowchaser was breathing hard, but didn't seem to be in any serious pain. "And...it was worth it to stop your little toy there."

"Eh?" Grave cocked his head curiously and then blinked as his clockwork man took two lumbering steps forwards, raised its sword...and stopped moving completely, its whole body shuddering with a huge grating noise. "Oooh, you jammed up its gears with….something or other."

He hopped off his crystal. "Guess that's what I get for not using a kit and violating the warranty like that. So you wanna do this the duel way?"

"Since you seem to be up for it, why not?" Fawkes dusted himself off and moved to stand in the middle of the street about twenty-five feet away from the Monarch. Despite the appearance that the clockwork sword hadn't hurt him, aches were spreading over his body fast. "You don't seem all the fussed you can't beat me physically."

"Naw, old man. This Mineral Hearthstone doesn't really take any energy from you if you die. Gotta duel for it. Just though my clockwork would be something fun. Built it in record time, too." Grave rolled his shoulders and knelt, plunging his arm into the ground like it was water. When he ripped it free, he now had a duel disk there. It was carved completely from various stones that melded together seamlessly and gave it a rather polished appearance. "So let's get this going on." (GLP: 8000)

"You're on." Fawkes produced a Pocket Duel Disk and slid it home, the device whirring into an active position as he slid his deck home. (FLP: 8000)

"Draw." Grave snapped up the card and added it to his hand. "I'll use two copies of my Card Mine card to add two Rock-type monsters from my deck to hand."

Two lumps of stone rose up out of the ground in front of him and then they shattered, leaving two cards for him to pluck out of the air. "Then I'll be setting two cards face-down and ending my turn."

"Draw." Fawkes did so, eying his opponent's field carefully. ( _He searched for two monsters last turn, but didn't play any...and no Rock monsters that I know of are capable of being used in the hand..so better to trigger those set cards now than later!)_

"I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards!" Adding his new cards to his hand, Fawkes slapped a monster onto the tray. "I summon Elemental Hero Stratos!"

A hero clad in blue spandex appeared, a pair of wings with turbines in them on his back. They activated and he rose into the air, striking a pose. "When Stratos is summoned, I can add another hero monster from my deck to my hand!" (1800/300)

"Still playing the hero game with those guys...you're better on sticking to one element and mastering it." Grave shook his head as Fawkes added his chosen card to his hand.

"Variety is the spice of life, my friend and now Stratos attacks you directly! _Cyclone!_ " Stratos nodded and jetted up even higher, his two turbines spinning so rapidly they both generated torandos. The spinning wind washed over Grave with so much force that his duster nearly ripped free. (GLP: 6200)

"Rrr…" Grave slumped a bit as brown energy leaked from him and was sucked into the jewel behind him. Straightening, he cracked his neck. "Not bad...got anything else."

"Just like you, two set cards." The cards appeared behind Stratos as the hero landed cockily and folded his arms. "End of turn."

"At the End Phase, I activate Shield Wall." One of Grave's cards flipped up, spitting out a quartet of carved statues that were kneeling behind stone riot shields. "Four Shield Wall Tokens in defense mode." (0/1000x4)

"You waited until I attacked...but those are like Scapegoats, you can't tribute them." Fawkes narrowed his eyes slightly. "So what are you going to do with them?"

"Lemme show, not tell." Grave drew for his turn. "I activate Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies. This destroys all Rock-types I have...and I summon as many as I can from my hand."

This four tokens exploded and then he slapped three cards down in rapid succession. "Magnet Ape Epsilon, Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Magnet Crocodile Zeta, all in attack mode."

Epsilon did indeed look like an ape, but it was a bulky robot and steam vented as its pistons whirred into action. Alpha was a faceless shield-and-sword warrior, looking to be carved from entirely from slate gray stone. The crocodile lumbered forwards between the two, looking far more like an animal than its counterpart except for the fact its feet magnetic rods. (1700/500) (1400/1700) (1600/1200)

"None of them are stronger than Stratos and you only have one card in your hand." Fawkes pointed out even as his hero gave the opposing monsters a disdainful nod. "...is it Granmarg?"

"Nope. Gaia Power." Grave slid the card into his field slot and the Hearthstone behind him began to pulse. Roots appeared on it and within moments, a giant tree was sitting atop it and glowing with power. "All my guys may lose some defense points, but they get more than enough attack points to bury you six feet under, old man." (2200/100) (1900/1200) (2000/800)

He pointed across the field. "Alpha attacks Stratos!"

The warrior nodded and leapt across the field, skewering the hero through the chest and out his flight pack. It sparked dangerously and then Alpha withdrew his sword, the hero exploded in a fireball.

(FLP: 7900)

Fawkes shielded his eyes from the glow it produced, then screamed as the two other Magnet monsters blasted him with electricity that arced from their bodies and into his like so so many tendrils of some great beast. (FLP: 3700)

"Dunno why Magnet monsters got electricity for attacks, but hey, it looks cool. And really painful." Grave sighed and ran a hand through his greasy hair as Fawkes pitched forwards to the pavement, so much energy pouring off the Shadowchaser that he looked to be ablaze for a moment. "For an old guy, you sure as hell got some fighting spirit."

He shook his head as Fawkes coughed hard and blood spattered on the ground. "Sheesh. Know when to quit, why don't you? I really need to take more energy from you and if you die before we're done, then you might as well be fool's gold."

The Monarch frowned at the sight of a trap card flipping up on Fawke's field. "Damage Condenser, huh?"

"That's right…" Fawkes rose to his feet, wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand. He was clearly in pain, but he managed to smile all the same. "Since I took two thousand points of damage from Zeta's attack, I can discard a card and summon a monster with attack points less than that damage. Elemental Hero Ocean is my choice!"

Water fountained up in front of him, condensing and forming into a blue-skinned hero wielding a trident. He twirled the weapon and struck a pose. (1500/1200)

"Well, let's see what he can do for you, then." Grave cocked his head and gestured towards the new monster. "End of turn."

"Draw. During my standby phase, Ocean's power activates! A hero monster in my graveyard is returned to my hand!" A card slid free of his graveyard and he held it up to reveal Stratos. "Of course, I'll be summoning him back to the field!"

The air hero reappeared, looking ready for battle as Fawkes' disk beeped and slid a card out of his deck for him to snatch up. "So that's another hero to my hand and then I'll fuse Stratos, Ocean and a hero in my hand together with Polymerization!"

A portal opened above the playing field and a massive red figure crashed to the ground, their armor sizzling. The pavement groaned with the weight as they rose to their standing height, well over eight feet and clenched six powerful-looking hands into six equally powerful-looking fists. "Vision Hero Trinity! And during the turn this monster is fusion summoned, its attack power doubles!" (2500-5000)

Grave braced himself as Trinity launched across the field and punched Alpha so hard the monster's head blew into pixels well before the body followed suit. An amber glow seeped from his body into the crystal behind as his life points fell and he pitched to one knee. But he still managed to tap a button on his disk and his set card rose. "I activate Shock Draw! I just took three thousand points of damage, so I draw three cards!" (GLP: 3100)

"You won't get a chance to use them! Trinity can attack three monsters per turn, so your Ape and Zeta are history!" Trinity whirled and drew back its fist again, even as the Ape suddenly knelt and crossed his arms. For what little good it did him as Trinity punched a new whole through him, arms and all.

Fawkes, on the other hand, stared in frustration even as Trinity barraged the crocodile with attacks. "Your monsters went to defense position?!"

"I discarded my Magnet Polarizer." Grave held up his hand to reveal he indeed had two cards, not three. "This switches the battle position of any monster with Magnet in its name on the field. So my life points are just fine."

"Heh...not bad. You've gotten better over the years." Fawkes glanced at his hand and then nodded. "I end my turn."

"You and your heroes, Fawkes, are still the same as ever. While I've unearthed some new power." Grave drew for his turn and his graveyard began to glow. "Magnet Polarizer, while in my graveyard, lets me banish it to add one Magnet monster or card in my deck or graveyard to my hand."

A card shot out of his deck and he added it to his hand, then promptly slid all three cards into his graveyard. "I discard Beta, Alpha and Gamma the Magnet Warriors to summon Valkyrion!"

"What!?" Fawkes' eyes went wide as the three named monsters appeared in front of Grave, then broke apart into pieces. They all spun and whirled around each other, linking together with a powerful 'zzt' sound. "You only had three cards in your hand!"

"I did, didn't I?" Grave stowed his hands in his pockets as his new monster landed in front of him. It did indeed resemble Valkyrion, but it was...taller, bulkier and more powerful looking overall. Its wings spread out dramatically and it raised its sword, which was much longer than normal and surging with power. "This is Valkyrion the Magnet Paladin." (3500/3800)

"What is that-?" Fawkes' question went unasked as the monster leapt across the field and slashed his Trinity apart with a single stroke of its blade. "Trinity!" (FLP: 2200)

Then he pitched to a knee and clutched as his chest as more energy seeped from him to be sucked in the jewel behind Graves. "Damn…"

"I'll give you the dirt on my new monster while you're catching your breath, old man." Grave held up his duel disk and tapped the monster's card, showing that it had a purple border. "He's a fusion monster, just like yours. Except he's got some unique conditions, that's all. And a new power-up. When he destroys a monster, I can summon another Magnet monster from my deck or graveyard."

"What!?" Fawkes reflexively took a step back as Alpha suddenly reappeared, but it wasn't enough as the monster leapt forwards and slashed him across the chest. (FLP: 800)

He reeled and fell to his knees again, breathing hard as even more energy poured from him into the Mineral Hearthstone. "Not..good."

"Call it quits, Fawkes and walk away, will you?" Grave sighed as the Shadowchaser shook his head, breathing too hard to come up with a verbal rebuttal. "You were fighting the Monarchy before I joined up. Hell, before half of us present joined up. You really can't do this anymore."

He watched Fawkes struggle to stand again and kicked at the ground. "Will you look at yourself? This is hardly a good destiny for you, if you die here…"

"Destiny, huh…?" Fawkes managed to smile and then got to his feet a bit unsteadily. But there was a strength in his eyes. "I might know a thing or two about that…"

"Eh?" Grave lifted an eyebrow and then jumped as a loud chiming of a bell filled the air. He glanced behind him at the clocktower in confusion. "I took that clock apart! How in the hell is it still working?"

"Oh, it's just signaling the new time. Like its supposed to." Fawkes' confident tone drew the Monarch's attention back to him. The Shadowchaser was pointing at a face-up card on his own field. "After all, there's always time for Destiny…"

"D…time.." Grave read the trap card's name aloud uncertainly, then his eyes widened in comprehension. "No way! That's not real! You...you're _him!?"_

"The effect of D-Time activates when you destroy a hero monster I control! I can then select a monster of equal level in my deck and add it to my hand!" Fawkes' deck churned a bit and then slid out a card, which he grabbed.

"No, that's not how that card works…" Grave said slowly, but he could hardly muster more than that as he saw hulking phantasmal figure appear behind Fawkes. A huge man, packed with muscle and covered in scars. A man with an iron mask over his face and broken manacles on his wrists and ankles.

And angry red eyes that bored across the field.

"Times change and I have to keep up with them. So a fix on some card text is necessary. But one thing doesn't change, Grave.." Fawkes smiled darkly as the figure behind him bellowed a challenge. "I am Destiny's Lord and the destiny of everyone who threatens my town is to fall at my hands."

TTTTTTT

 _Created Cards:_

Capital Factory Mechanus  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: You can Normal Summon Normal Machine-type monsters without tribute. Once per turn, you can select one 'Machine King' monster you control and Special Summon one Machine-type monster from your Deck, Hand or Graveyard whose level is equal to or less than the selected 'Machine King' monster's level.

Card Mine  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Add one Rock-type monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your Hand.

Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies  
Normal SPell Card  
Effect: Destroy all EARTH attribute monsters that you control. Special Summon as many EARTH monsters from your Hand as you can, up to the number of monsters destroyed by this effect.

Magnet Polarizer  
EARTH  
3 stars  
Rock/Effect  
1000/900  
Effect: You can discard this card from your hand during either player's turn; change the Battle Position of all monsters on the field that have 'Magnet' in their names. You can banish this card from your Graveyard, add one 'Magnet' card from your Deck to your Hand.

Valkyrion The Magnet Paladin  
EARTH  
9 stars  
Rock/Fusion/Effect  
3500/3800  
Effect: This card can only be Special Summoned the Fusion Deck by tributing 'Alpha the Magnet Warrior', 'Beta the Magnet Warrior' and 'Gamma The Magnet Warrior' from your Hand or Field. (This count as Fusion Summon.) Once per turn, you can tribute this card; Special Summon 'Alpha the Magnet Warrior', 'Beta the Magnet Warrior' and 'Gamma The Magnet Warrior' from your Graveyard. If this card destroys a monster as a result of battle, Special Summon one 'Magnet' monster from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard.

D-Time  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: When a 'HERO' monster you control leaves the field (except a Destiny Hero monster), add 1 'Destiny Hero' monster from your Deck to your Hand whose level is equal to or less than the level of the removed monster.


End file.
